Frozen Lemon Cream Cakes With Toasted Mernigue & Caramel Sauce!

I’m sorry I’ve been missing in action lately!  Just busy with life.  I’ve also been working on doing sugar cookies.  Not my strong suit, but I’m trying to get better at it.  I just recently did some Easter cookies, and I’ll be posting the pictures soon. They didn’t turn out that bad, and they were a lot of fun to do.  In the meantime, I have an absolutely delicious dessert worth sharing!

These pictures do not give this dessert justice! (Sorry, they were cell phone pictures and didn’t turn out that great.) These are delicious!  Great for a dinner party, or a refreshing after dinner dessert. You can’t go wrong.  I found these at Fine Cooking and are worth every calorie!

Frozen Lemon Cream Cakes with Toasted Meringue and Caramel Sauce

From: Fine Cooking

Denver pastry chef Yasmin Lozada-Hissom turns the classic lemon icebox cake into an impressive individual frozen dessert boasting a graham cracker crust, layers of lemon curd, lemon cream, and toasted meringue, with a rich caramel sauce and fresh berries. Serves eight.

Frozen Lemon Cream Cakes with Toasted Meringue and Caramel Sauce
For the crust
5 oz (1 cup plus 2 Tbsp.) graham cracker crumbs (from 12 to 13 homemade graham crackers or 9 whole store bought crackers)
1-1/2 oz.  (3 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp.  granulated sugar
For the lemon layer
2 cups granulated sugar
3 to 4 medium lemons, zest finely grated to yield 1/4 cup, then juiced to yield 1 cup
2 large eggs
8 large egg yolks
8 oz.  (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened
1-1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
For the caramel sauce
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/8 tsp.  table salt
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
For the meringue
1 cup superfine sugar
5 large egg whites, at room temperature (about 3/4 cup)
1/8 tsp.  table salt
1/8 tsp.  cream of tartar
Fresh blueberries, for garnish

Make the crust:

Arrange eight 3-inch-diameter, 2-inch-deep round metal ring molds on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment.

In a large bowl, mix the cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar until the crumbs are evenly moist and slightly clump together. Divide the graham cracker mixture among the molds and pack,  pressing to compact. Refrigerate.

Make the lemon layer:

Fill a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes plus a cup or so of water. Set a second bowl (one that holds at least 2 quarts) in the ice bath and put a medium-mesh strainer in the bowl.

Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a medium bowl and rub it between your fingers to release the lemon oil into the sugar.

In a large heatproof bowl, whisk the lemon juice, eggs, egg yolks, and the sugar mixture. Whisk in the butter pieces. In a 4-quart saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a bare simmer. Set the bowl over the pot (the water shouldn’t touch the bottom of the bowl). Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and reaches a temperature of 170°F, 5 to 10 minutes. Immediately strain into the bowl in the ice bath. Gently stir every so often until completely cool.

Spoon a 1/2 cup of the lemon curd evenly among the 8 ring molds and spread it with the back of a spoon to cover the crust. Put the baking sheet in the freezer.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream just until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. With a spatula, gently fold the remaining lemon curd into the whipped cream until well combined. Spoon about 1/2 cup of lemon cream into each mold (you may not use all of the cream). Cover loosely with plastic and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Make the caramel sauce:

In a 4-quart heavy-duty saucepan, mix the sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup water with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar turns golden-amber, about 15 minutes. As the sugar cooks, occasionally rinse down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the cream—it may splatter a bit. Stir in the vanilla. If the sugar hardened when adding the cream, stir until it’s completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature, about 4 hours.

Make the meringue

Shortly before serving, boil the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a heavy-duty 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage (235°F to 240°F on a candy thermometer), 3 to 5 minutes. As the sugar boils, occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming.

Meanwhile, whip the egg whites and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on low speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium, add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, pour the hot sugar syrup in a very thin stream down the side of the bowl. Continue beating on medium-high speed until the egg whites are firm and glossy and the bowl is cool to the touch, 6 to 8 minutes.

Assemble the cakes

Put the cakes on individual serving plates. To unmold, quickly pass the flame of a small kitchen torch around the sides of the rings to loosen them, and then use tongs to slide the rings off. Dollop spoonfuls of meringue over the lemon cream. Using the kitchen torch, lightly brown the meringue. Pool about 2 Tbs. of the caramel sauce next to each cake and garnish with blueberries. Serve immediately.

Make Ahead Tips:

The sauce may be made several days ahead. Refrigerate and gently reheat just long enough to take off the chill before serving. Leftovers will keep, refrigerated, for about 2 weeks.

Baked Alaska for my Birthday!

Thankfully, my birthday only comes once a year! Even then, it seems a little much! Isn’t it funny how we start out wishing and even adding time to our birthday? (She’s 15 months old, he’s 2 1/2, or the little girl who’s wanting to be older, I’m almost 9!) Gone are those days for me!  However, the tradition of getting to pick what you want for your birthday, and even looking forward to it, NEVER seems to go away! (Thank Goodness!!) And, if you can’t make up your mind what you want for your birthday, just make both! Your family will love you for it!!

(Luscious NY Style Cheesecake with a Delicious Strawberry Sauce, Recipe coming soon! I couldn’t make up my mind which I wanted. So I made Both!!)

I made my baked Alaska in my 13 inch Pain de Mie Pullman Bread pan. (By the way, I love this website, take a look around!)  Here’s how I made my Baked Alaska.  Bake your favorite cake in a (1/2 sheet pan) Cookie sheet. ( Bake until cake springs back when lightly touched, approximately, 15-20 minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes, then invert cake onto a clean kitchen towel to cool completely.  Spray the inside of the pan you’re gonna use to make your baked Alaska, and put plastic wrap inside your pan, allowing extra to hang over on the sides. (This will aid in removing the baked Alaska from the pan.)  Measure your pullman bread pan. Mine on the inside was 4 inches, so I cut my cake at 3 3/4 inches,  cutting a total of 4 cake layers.  Lay a strip of cake in the bottom of your pan, and then a layer of slightly softened ice cream over the cake layer. Freeze for an hour.  Lay another strip of cake and slightly softened ice cream over the first layers. Freeze for about an hour.  Lay a strip of cake and your final slightly softened ice cream over the previous layers, and stack the final strip of cake over the ice cream.  Fold the plastic wrap over the cake and ice cream layers (Your pan should be full now) and freeze for several hours or overnight.  To release your cake and ice cream from the pan, use a blow torch and heat the outside of the pan, until it slips out, or dip in hot water until the cake is loosened from the pan. Release the cake unto a covered board, and place back in the freezer for approximately 1 hour.  Make your meringue. (Remove plastic wrap).  Frost the cake with the meringue, spreading the meringue all the way to the bottom of the sides of the cake, and lightly toast your meringue with a mini chef’s blow torch, or bake briefly in a very hot oven, till lightly toasted.  Freeze cake until ready to serve.

Sadly, my blow torch was out of fuel and we just ate it the way it was, without toasting it. It still taste good just the way it was.

 

Chocolate Raspberry Bavarian Cake

This can be described in one word: Superb!!   Delicious!!  This recipe comes from Nick Malgieri’s book:  “Chocolate – From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers”. I picked this book up on clearance from a book store for a bargain price of $7.99 years ago. This book is one of my favorites! You will not be disappointed in this recipe.  The chocolate sponge base is moistened by a simple raspberry syrup. The mousse is intensely flavored raspberry mousse that is just out of this world.  A thin layer of ganache separates the layers, and it gets decked out with raspberries and shaved chocolate, making this a special occasion, show stopper dessert cake!  This recipe comes together in record time. Once you get the cake baked, it just a matter of steps, that take no time at all to complete.  Don’t miss out, make it today!

Chocolate Raspberry Bavarian Cake

“The light raspberry Bavarian cream is a perfect foil to the moist genoise layers and thin layers of chocolate filling. Serve this for a very special occasion – especially since it can be made entirely in advance and just finished off on the day you’ll serve it”.

Makes 1 – 10 inch cake, about 12 servings

By: Nick Malgieri – Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers

Raspberry Syrup

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Raspberry Liqueur

Chocolate Filling

1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

4 oz. Semisweet Chocolate, cut into 1/4 inch pieces) (I used Callebaut Semi Sweet Chocolate Disks)

2 Tbsp. (1/4 stick) Unsalted Butter

Raspberry Bavarian

Two 10 oz. pkgs. Frozen Raspberries

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Raspberry Liqueur

1 1/2 Envelopes Unflavored Gelatin

2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

One 9 inch Round Chocolate Genoise, page 30, baked and cooled

Finishing:

1 Cup Heavy whipping Cream

Chocolate Shavings, (page 392) (I used Callebaut Semi Sweet Chocolate Disk, and put them through my food processor)

One 1/2 pint basket raspberries

Confectioner’s Sugar

One 10 inch springform pan

1.  For the syrup, combine the sugar and water, bring to a boil and cool.  Stir in the liqueur.

2.  For the chocolate filling, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from heat, add the chocolate, and allow to stand 2 minutes.  Whisk in the butter until smooth and cool.

3.  To make the Bavarian, combine the raspberries and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Use a food mill or a fine sieve to puree and strain away the seeds. Cool.  Combine the liqueur and gelatin in a small, heatproof bowl and soak 5 minutes.  Place bowl over simmering water to make liquid again,  then whisk into cooled puree. Whip cream and fold it in.

4.  Slice genoise into two layers and place on in the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan. Moisten with half the syrup. Whip cooled chocolate filling to lighten and spread half of it over cake layer;  pour on half the Bavarian. Repeat with remaining cake layer, syrup, chocolate filling, and Bavarian.  Chill to set.

5.  To unmold, run a small knife between dessert and mold and lift off side of pan.  Whip the cream and spread over the sides of pan. Press some of the chocolate shavings into the cream. Arrange the raspberries on top in two concentric circles around the top rim, then sprinkle center with shavings and confectioner’s sugar.

My Notes:  I didn’t have a 10 inch springform pan on hand, so instead I baked my Genoise cake in an 8 inch pan, and then used my 9 inch cake ring to put the cake together with.  Came out perfect.  My cake layers are thicker, and I had a little bit of Raspberry Mousse leftover, that my husband loved me for. Other than that, the recipe came out excellent and tasty!! Just as described in the recipe. This cake goes in my Favorites folder and will be made again and again!

On the last picture you can see that my Raspberry Mousse has slightly discolored. If you use a plastic fine mesh strainer, to press your raspberries through, this will not happen. All I have is a  metallic one, so I have some discoloration.

Recipe also available here

Raspberry Miroire

I’m so sorry it’s been so long since I have posted a dessert here. Truth is, I have not been making that much dessert lately! I know, hard to  believe. I have such a sweet tooth too, so I think this one was worth the wait!!   I have mentioned before that my husband’s favorite dessert, is anything mousse.   We thoroughly enjoyed this dessert and I hope you do too.  This is not an overly sweet dessert. Perfect balance.  This has a lot of ingredients and a long list of instructions, but do not let that sway you from making this. It comes together easily and with no trouble.

Strawberry Miroire

Preparation Time: 1 hour, plus several hours refrigeration

Total Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 8-10

*******

Sponge Base:

1 Egg

2 Tbsp. Caster Sugar (I used regular sugar) (Or you can whirl it in a food processor)

2 Tbsp. Self-Rising Flour

1 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour

*******

Raspberry Mousse:

500 g. (1 lb.) Fresh or Frozen Raspberries (I used frozen)

4 Egg Yolks

1/2 Cup ( 125 g/4 oz.) Caster Sugar (I used Regular)

1 cup (250 ml/8 fl. oz.) Milk

1 1/2 Tbsp. Gelatin

1/4 cup (60 ml/2 fl. oz.) Creme De Cassis Liqueur (I used Raspberry Pucker, as the liquor store did not have Creme De Cassis, it worked fine)

1 Cup (250 ml/9 fl oz.) Cream

*******

Raspberry Topping

2 tsp. Gelatin

1 Tbsp. Creme De Cassis Liqueur (Again, I used Raspberry Pucker)

1/3 Cup (80 ml/2 3/4 fl oz.) Water

********

Chocolate Bark:

100 g (3 1/2 oz.) White Chocolate melts, melted (My husband is not patient, I didn’t get to do this part!)

*******

Raspberries, to decorate

Icing Sugar, to dust

Cream, for serving, optional

*******

Directions:

Preheat the oven to a moderate 350 Degrees F. (180 Degree C/Gas Mark 4).  Lightly grease a round 9 inch (22 cm) springform tin and line the base with baking paper.  Beat the egg and sugar in a small bowl with electric beaters, for 5 minutes, or until  thick and fluffy.  Sift the flours together three times, then fold into the egg mixture with a metal spoon.  Spread evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned and shrunk slightly away from the edge. Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

To make the raspberry mousse:

Blend or process the raspberries in batches until smooth and press through a plastic strainer (not a metallic one or the raspberries may discolor) to remove the seeds.  Reserve 1/2 cup (125 ml/4 fl oz.)  raspberry puree for the topping. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl for 5 minutes, or until thick and pale. Bring the milk to a boil and gradually  pour onto the egg mixture, beating continually. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Allow to cool.

Sprinkle the gelatin in an even layer over 1/4 cup (60 ml/2 fl oz.) water in a small heatproof bowl and leave to go spongy. Do not stir.  Put a small saucepan of water on to boil. When it boils, remove from the heat and place the bowl in the water (it should come halfway up the side of the bowl) then stir until clear and completely dissolved. Cool slightly. Stir the gelatin mixture, raspberry puree and liqueur into the custard mixture, then refrigerate until thick but not set.  Beat the cream until soft peaks form and fold into the raspberry mixture, with a metal spoon. Place the sponge into the springform pan.  Pour the mousse mixture evenly on to the top of the sponge cake mixture, and refrigerate several hours or until firm.

For the topping, sprinkle the gelatin in an even layer over 1/3 cup water in a heat proof bowl and leave to go spongy.  Do not stir. Put a small saucepan of water on to boil.  When it boils, remove from heat and place the bowl of gelatin into the water. It should come halfway up the side of the bowl), then stir until clear and completely dissolved.  Cool slightly. Stir in the reserved raspberry puree and the liqueur, pour evenly over the set mousse, then refrigerate until set.

To make the chocolate bark, cover a baking tray firmly with plastic wrap, spread the chocolate thinly  over the plastic, and allow to set.  When set, break into large angular pieces.

To serve, cut the Raspberry Miroire into wedges, place pieces of chocolate on the back of each slice and keep in place with a dob of cream.  Decorate with extra raspberries, dust lightly with icing sugar and serve with cream if desired.

Note: Miroire denotes the shiny jelly topping, meaning “mirror” in French.

Mississippi Mud Pie (B) AKA Muddy Mississippi Cake

As promised, here is the second recipe from Baked Explorations.  In Baked Explorations, the authors’ give their signature Baked twist to famous desserts across the country.  They also give you two ways to make the Mississippi Mud Pie.

The Mississippi Mud Pie (B) AKA Muddy Mississippi Cake, in my opinion was definitely worth the wait!  They created a dreamier, elegant version. A flourless chocolate cake, baked inside a cookie crust, then top it with a layer of silky dark chocolate pudding and finishing it with whipped cream! DELICIOUS!!   I can’t wait to make the rest of the desserts in this book!

Mississippi Mud Pie (b) AKA Muddy Mississippi Cake

by: Baked Explorations

Ingredients:

Crust:

16 oz. Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, such as Oreos (35-40 cookies), crushed

5 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted

For the Flourless Chocolate Cake:

4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) Unsalted Butter

6 oz. good quality dark chocolate (60 to 70%), chopped

2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Instant Espresso Powder

1/4 Cup Strong Coffee, at room temperature

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

6 Large Eggs, separated, at room temperature

1 Cup Sugar

For the Chocolate Pudding:

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Dark Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (like Valrhona)

1/4 Cup Cornstarch

1/4 tsp. Salt

4 Large Egg Yolks

2 1/2 Cups Whole Milk

3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter

2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

3 oz. Good quality Dark Chocolate (60-70%)

Assembly:

Simple Whipped Cream (Recipe Follows)

Make the Chocolate Cookie Crust:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment and sides of the pan.

In a food processor, grind the cookies to a very fine crumb. You should have about 3 1/2 cups. Put the crumbs in a small bowl. Pour the melted butter over them and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined.

Turn the crumb mixture into the prepared pan and press it into the bottom and up the sides, leaving about 1/2 inch between the top of the crust and the top of the pan. Use the back of a large spoon to get an even layer of crust. Place the pan in the freezer and let the crust set for about 10 minutes.

Bake the crust in the oven until it is very dry to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool.

Make the Flourless Chocolate Cake:

Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Using a double boiler or microwave, melt the butter and chocolate together. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the espresso powder, coffee, salt, and vanilla. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until the mixture is light and has almost doubled in volume, about 5 minutes.  Add the chocolate mixture and beat until just combined.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix on low-speed for 5 seconds.  Add the coffee mixture and beat until just combined.  Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix on low for 5 seconds.

In a clean bowl fitted with the whisk attachment (or you can elect to do this step by hand if you are feeling strong), beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually increase the speed to high and add the remaining 1/2  cup sugar, beating until soft peaks form.

Scoop 1 cup of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.  Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the egg whites.  After about 30 seconds of folding, add the remaining egg whites and continue folding until they are almost completely combined.  Do not rush the folding process, work gently, and take care not to overmix. Pour the batter onto the cooled cookie crust and bake for 38 to 42 minutes, until the cake  is set but still jiggles slightly. It might not appear to be completely cooked. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. (As it cools, the cake will deflate in the center and look sunken. Do not despair, this is just the way it settles.) Tightly wrap and refrigerate the cake for at least three hours or overnight.

Make the Pudding:

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt. Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined. The mixture will look like a thick paste. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly to prevent it from burning on the bottom of the pan. Boil for 30 seconds, then transfer it to a medium bowl.  Add the butter, vanilla, and chocolate and whisk until combined.  Continue to whisk for a few minutes more to cool the mixture slightly.  Let the pudding stand for 15 minutes at room temperature. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming, and chill it for at least 3 hours.

To Assemble the Mississippi Mud Pie:

Stir the pudding to loosen it, then pour it onto the top of the cake, making sure to stay inside the cookie crust border. Use an offset spatula to spread the pudding into an even layer. Return the cake to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the whipped cream topping.  Spread the whipped cream across the pudding layer, all the way to the sides, unmold the cake, and serve it immediately.  The cake can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Simple Whipped Cream:

1 1/4 Cups Heavy Cream

2 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar

Pour the cream into a chilled metal bowl and beat with a chilled whisk for about 1 minute or until soft peaks form. Sprinkle the sugar on the cream and continue whisking vigorously until stiff peaks form.

Yield: About 2 cups whipped cream.

Caramel Creme Brulee

We were having a dinner party the other night and my daughter wanted Creme Brulee for the dessert. While I love Creme Brulee, I had come across this recipe for Caramel Creme Brulee that I had found on the Los Angeles Times website. It was one of their SOS Recipes. A diner was writing in about the Caramel Creme Brulee,  served at Cavallo Point Lodge near Sausalito, California. The restaurant serves the custards with whipped cream and a little chocolate sauce. I had to make it, and I served mine with the whipped cream and chocolate sauce too!  I was not disappointed!! This is Dangerously Delicious!! This is one dessert that I truly savored every spoonful and it will be a regular in our household!

Caramel Creme Brulee

From: Los Angeles Times

Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes, plus cooling and chilling time

Servings: 8

Note: Adapted from Cavallo Point Lodge near Sausalito, Calif. The restaurant serves the custards with whipped cream and a little chocolate sauce.

1 1/4 cups plus 2 teaspoons sugar, divided, plus extra for topping the custards

1 teaspoon corn syrup

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 egg yolks

1 generous teaspoon salt

(**Please take care when making caramel. Sugar burns are extremely painful. Use a larger pot then indicated, and pour slowly! Very slowly. That mixture is going to steam and bubble. Have ready a sink of cold water to plunge your hands into just in case of accidental spillage or sputtering!)

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.

2. In a medium heavy-bottom pan, combine 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and the corn syrup with just enough water to give the sugar a “wet sand” consistency. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar comes to a boil (reduce the heat as needed so the sugar does not boil over). Continue to cook until the sugar caramelizes, turning a “reddish amber” color.

3. While the sugar is caramelizing, in a small, heavy-bottom pot, combine the half-and-half, cream and vanilla and heat over medium heat, bringing to a bare simmer. Reduce the heat to low to keep the cream warm as the sugar cooks.

4.** As soon as the sugar caramelizes, remove from heat and gently pour into the cream mixture (be very careful, as the sugar will steam), stirring to combine. Remove the combined caramel and cream from heat and pour the mixture into a medium bowl set over a bowl of ice water (an ice bath), stirring until it comes to room temperature. Remove from the ice bath and set aside.

5. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons sugar and the salt. Whisk the yolks into the cream mixture, then strain the entire mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps.

6. Divide the mixture between 8 (6-ounce) ramekins, leaving half-inch space at the top. Place the ramekins in a baking dish, and slide the baking dish onto the center rack of the oven. Add enough boiling water to the baking dish to come halfway up the ramekins.

7. Loosely cover the baking dish with foil and bake 20 minutes. Check the custard by gently shaking the dish; if it jiggles gently (as with barely set gelatin), it is set. Otherwise, continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes until the custards are set, up to 30 to 40 minutes total.

8. When the custards are set, gently remove the baking dish from the oven, uncover the custards, and cool them (still in the baking dish) to room temperature. Remove the cooled custards from the baking dish and refrigerate until well-chilled, at least 2 hours.

9. Before serving, remove the chilled custards and sprinkle a scant teaspoon sugar over the surface of each, spreading the sugar with the back of a spoon to evenly cover the top.

10. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and place under the broiler just until the sugar melts and caramelizes, 1 to 2 minutes. Alternatively, use a small torch to caramelize the tops of each of the custards.

11. Cool the custards for 5 minutes before serving.

This is the Chocolate Sauce that I used, also from an SOS recipe in the Los Angeles Times.

BLD’s Hot fudge sauce
5 tablespoons butter

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Milk Chocolate, it was all I had. It was great!)

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

2 tablespoons vanilla

2 tablespoons whiskey, such as Jack Daniel’s

1. Combine the butter and chocolate in a medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Gently melt, stirring frequently, until combined. Remove from heat.

2. While the butter and chocolate melt, combine the cream, sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and stir the cream mixture into the melted chocolate.

3. Place the melted-chocolate bowl back over the pot of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick and shiny, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla and whiskey. Use immediately or chill. This makes 2 1/2 cups sauce.

Whipped Cream

1 1/2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar

3/4 tsp. Vanilla Paste

In a bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.  Add powdered sugar, and vanilla paste and beat until stiff peaks. Serve at once or refrigerate.

Black Forest Cake

Black Forest Cake

by: whatscookingamerica.net (I love this site, history plus a recipe!

I added chopped chocolate to my whipped cream frosting to spread the chocolate through out the frosting, and than shaved some on top of the filling.

Black Forest Cake – Schwarzwälderkirschtorte

If you’d like a homemade chocolate cake recipe to use, I highly recommend this one. It’s a great tasting, very moist and heavy cake. My go to chocolate cake recipe. I found this recipe on one of the chef forums. Unfortunately, I don’t have the chef’s name, but it’s definitely GREAT chocolate cake.

Devil’s Food Cake

11 oz. Cake Flour (2 3/4 Cup)

14 oz. Sugar (2 Cups)

1 teaspoon Salt

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 1/2 oz. Cocoa Powder (1/2 Cup) (I  used Dutch Cocoa)

2 Cups Warm Water

1 Cup Oil

2 Tbsp. Vinegar (White or Cider)

2 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  The follow process should be mixed by hand.

In a large bowl, sift all dry ingredients.  In another bowl, combine all liquids. (The water should be slightly warm).  Add 3/4 of the liquid to the dry and whisk until smooth.  Add the remaining liquid and blend.  Spray 2 9 inch cake pans with pan release. Line cake pans with parchment or waxed paper and line the bottoms. Spray the parchment or waxed paper.  Put the batter into the pans, and tap the pans on the counter once or twice to remove air bubbles.  Put in a 350 degree oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. (This is a very liquid y cake and takes a long time to bake. If your using a convection oven, lower heat to 325 degrees.) The cake should spring back firmly in the center when done, or when a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan, and then invert onto another plate. Remove paper. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.  (Allow to chill thoroughly before cutting and leveling cake.)

Blackberry Frosted Dream

This is a dessert that I came up with to use up the blackberries that I had on hand. This turned out absolutely delicious and I will definitely make this again.   This doesn’t need to be frozen to be served, but it makes it frosty and cool if you do. I have included a Lemon Glaze that you can put on top of this, make sure to let the glaze set up before you freeze it if you choose to add the glaze.  These can be used refrigerated and if you use the glaze, just refrigerate, no need to wait for the glaze to set first.  I still prefer them frozen, but you decide.

Lemon Pound Cake

3 Cups Cake Flour, Sifted

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Baking Powder

1 1/2 Cups (3 sticks) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

5 Large Eggs, at room temperature

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp. Lemon Extract

1 Cup Buttermilk

1 tsp. Vanilla

Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously butter a 15X10 inch  baking pan.  Line with parchment paper, spray with nonstick. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.   In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugar and salt on medium high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl about halfway through, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating  after each addition.  If the mixture curdles, beat in a little of the flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time; the flour will absorb the excess moisture and the batter will smooth out again. (If the batter stays curdled, you run the risk of having butter lumps in your cake.)  Beat in the lemon juice and lemon extract.

With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients until absorbed. Beat in the buttermilk. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients until absorbed.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake and the cake springs back when gently touched, 25 to 30 minutes.  ( NOTE: Start checking after 20 minutes. Do not over bake cake.)   Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes, and then invert onto a towel, sprinkled with powdered sugar until completely cool.

Blackberry Curd:

6 Cups Blackberries

2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

6 Egg Yolks

2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

4 Tbsp. Water

1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter, cut into little cubes

In a saucepan, combine blackberries, sugar and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes covered.  Strain berries over a bowl in a fine mesh strainer to capture juice using a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. (Discard seeds).  Return blackberry juice to saucepan. In a small mixing bowl beat egg yolks, cornstarch and water for about 2 minutes.  Add 1/2 Cup of the blackberry sauce  to the egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Return mixture to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.  (if you have any lumps, strain your curd through a fine mesh strainer.)  Remove from heat, whisk in butter than let cool to room temperature. Set aside.

Blackberry Mousse:

3 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

6 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar

Blackberry Curd

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream with the powdered sugar until you have medium soft peaks.  Fold 1/3 of the whipping cream into the blackberry curd. Than combine the blackberry curd and the whipped cream, stirring gently until no white streaks remain. Set aside.

Lemon Glaze: (Optional)

3 tsp. Powdered Gelatin

2 Tbsp. Water

1/2 Cup Lemon Juice

1/2 Cup Water

4 Tbsp. Sugar

Sprinkle the gelatin over the 2 Tablespoons of water and stir. Set aside.  In a small saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup water, lemon juice and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the gelatin, and stir till the gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.  Spoon or pour the mixture over the mousse. Let sit until gelatin has set. Freeze until ready to serve.

Assembly:

Take Dessert molds (I used Cans, from my cheater chili. I cut both ends out, removed the labels and then used the grinder to remove any sharp edges, and threw them in the dish washer. I didn’t have any molds.) Cut rounds of cake with the dessert molds, leaving the cake inside the molds. Set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or wax paper, or Silpat liner). Put in freezer while making the blackberry curd.  Spoon some blackberry curd, onto the cake layers, making a thin layer, but not thin enough to see the cake underneath. Return to freezer while making the mousse.  Spoon the mousse into the dessert molds, filling up all the way to just below the top. Return the desserts to the freezer while you make the glaze. (The glaze is optional). Spoon or pour the glaze over the top of the mousse, and let sit until glaze sets. Decorate with Blackberries and Mint leaves.  You could also reserve a little of the whipped cream and top your dessert with a swirl of whipped cream in the center with a blackberry set in the center. No matter how you decorate, these will not disappoint! To unmold desserts, use a propane torch and go around the mold until it releases the dessert.

NOTES:  My Molds are rather large, 3 inches round by 3 1/2 inches tall, which I felt were too big. I suggest smaller molds.  This recipe made 8 this size. Also, the cake will make the 15X10 inch cake and a loaf. Or you could cut the recipe in half. I made the whole recipe, freezing the leftover cake for cake balls or another dessert for another time. The pound cake recipe was adapted from: The Sono Baking Company Cookbook and is delicious!

Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Mousse

My husband loves mousse desserts. Doesn’t matter what kind of mousse, he just likes that creamy, cool, refreshing mousse and isn’t picky what kind. I didn’t have any fresh fruits on hand but I did have the Jumex nectar juices. That worked pretty good, and made a nice creamy mousse topping for the chocolate cake. The Strawberry nectar wasn’t dark enough in color to make my mousse red, I guess you could use a food coloring to color the mousse if you wanted too. I thought it worked out just fine without coloring. The flavor was wonderful!

Chocolate Cake:

6 Tbsp. Butter, room temp.

1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed

1 1/2  tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs, room temp.

1 Cup Plus 3 Tbsp.  All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder

3/4 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

3/4 Cup Buttermilk, room temp.

Mousse:

2/3 Cup Jumex Strawberry Nectar (Or a flavor of your choice)

1/4 Cup Cold Water

1 1/2 tsp. Gelatin Powder

2 Large Eggs

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

3/4 Cup Whipping Cream

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. while making the cake batter.  Grease and flour a 9 inch Spring form pan, line with parchment paper and set aside.  In a bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.  Beat in Vanilla and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  In a separate bowl, sift all flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add alternately with buttermilk, starting and ending with flour mixture blending gently but well after each addition. Scrape batter into spring form pan, tap on counter to remove any air bubbles and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes, than invert cake to a cooling rack to cool completely. Wash, rinse and dry the spring form pan, and line again with parchment paper around the sides of the pan. Return cake back to pan and set aside.

Pour cold water over gelatin and stir. Whisk eggs, sugar and lemon juice over a pot of simmering water until fluffy and warm.  Remove from heat and add gelatin, whisking until melted.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.     Whip cream to medium peaks, and fold in egg mixture, gently but quickly add strawberry nectar. Pour over the cake in the spring form pan and refrigerate  for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.  To serve, remove ring from pan, and gently peel away the parchment paper from the side of the cake.  Top with Fresh Fruit if desired. (I just didn’t have any.)

Strawberry Fraisier

Recently I ran across several Strawberry Fraisier recipes. They looked so absolutely delicious, it was hard to choose. And then I ran across this site.  This is so visually beautiful and inspiring I just had to try it.  I ran into a few snags though. One, you should always check to make sure that your ring mold (or whatever your using) is the right size. (Yes, I do know better, but I did it anyways!)  I baked the cake part of it and then went and got my ring mold pan. Oh, how I was disappointed. I had baked the wrong size cake!  (It made it hard to put this together), but I forged on anyways.

Now, not only did I use the wrong size cake pan, but again, not listening to my inner self (lalala I can’t hear you) I could have salvaged the screwup that I made. Like I could have put it together and then put it in the freezer to let it firm up, and then unmold it. But no, I was pressed for time, and un-molded that cake before I should have. Alas, my filling wanted to spread out, and I had to scramble to save it from total collapse! And, guess what, I had to refrigerate it anyways for it to firm up!

Here is the results. obviously, not as pretty as made by Food Lover’s Odyssesy! But the taste! I believe I at least got the taste right because it was delicious!! I will make this again, only I will make sure that I have the right size mold to put it together with.

This was so good! All those that tasted it was full of Ohhh’s and Awww’s and WOW’S.

By: Food Lover’s Odyssesy

To make the Fraisier, you will need:

One 9-inch Meyer Lemon Génoise cake, sliced in half

About 1/2 cup Meyer Lemon Simple Syrup (recipe below)

About 3 cups Crème Mousseline (recipe below)

About 2 pounds (1 kg) fresh strawberries, stemmed and hulled

Fraisier with Meyer Lemon Genoise and Creme Mousseline

For the Meyer Lemon Génoise:

1 cup (125 g) cake flour

2 tablespoons (25 g) butter, melted

4 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (130 g) granulated sugar

3 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest (from 2-3 lemons)

Preheat and oven to 350ºF, lightly grease the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan

Sift the cake flour; set aside.  Melt the butter; set aside.

Heat eggs and sugar over a double boiler with simmering water.  Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 122ºF (50 C), about 7 minutes.  Once the mixture is heated beat the mixture to ribbons, preferably using a stand mixer. (You can use a handheld mixer or whisk by hand, but it will take a lot longer.)  The mixture is at the “ribbon stage” when you pull the batter up with the beater and it stays atop the rest of the mixture, forming a ribbon-like effect.  It will take about 8 minutes for the mixture to reach this stage using a stand mixer, about double the time using a handheld.

Fold 1/4 of the egg mixture into the melted butter to lighten the butter.  Add the lemon zest to the egg/butter mixture.  Fold the egg/butter mixture back into the rest of the egg mixture.  Sift 1/3 of the cake flour onto the egg mixture, then gently but quickly fold together.  Repeat in thirds until the flour has been incorporated.  Gently pour the batter into the cake pan and bake about 17 minutes, or until you insert a knife in the center, and it comes out with a few moist flakes of cake.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the cake pan.  Let cool completely.  (If a mound has formed on the top of the cake, slice it off to make an even and flat top.) Slice the cake into two halves.

*How you fold the mixture together is crucial to the success of a light and spongy génoise.  You want to evenly incorporate the flour into the egg mixture while not deflating the aerated eggs.  It’s important that you’re quick and gentle at the same time, cutting the spatula down toward the center, lifting the batter from the bottom of the bowl, and turning the bowl with your other hand towards the hand that’s folding.

Meyer Lemon Simple Syrup:

1/3 cup (70 g) granulated sugar

1/3 cup (70 ml) water

4 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice

Bring to a boil the sugar and water.  Remove from the heat and cool.  Add the lemon juice and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.

For the Crème Mousseline:

2 1/4 cups (600 ml) whole milk

6 (120 g) egg yolks

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, divided in half

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (50 g) cornstarch

1 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (300 g) butter, room temperature, divided in half

Scald the milk and half the sugar in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium high heat.

While the milk and sugar are heating, whisk together the egg yolks, remaining sugar and cornstarch until the mixture becomes pale in color.

Once the milk is scalded, bubbling at the edges, slowly pour about 1/4 of it into the egg yolk mixture, whisking until combined.  Continue adding the milk in fourths until all has been whisked together.  Check the bottom of your saucepan.  If there is any scorched milk or film, use another heavy bottom saucepan; otherwise, pour the mixture back into the pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring vigorously and constantly.  Once the mixture boils, continue stirring vigorously over the heat for about 30 seconds more.  Remove from the heat continuing to stir until the steam dissipates.  Press through a sieve for a smooth cream.  Dot the cream with half of the butter in tablespoon-sized chunks.  Let the butter melt, then stir in.  Cool over an ice bath for 10 minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap.  The plastic should come in direct contact with the cream, so a film doesn’t develop.  Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes.

With a spoon, mix the remaining butter until it’s a soft consistency.  Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator.  In a stand mixer, stir until it’s soft.  Add 1/4 of the softened butter at a time and combine before adding the next 1/4 of the butter.  Place in a pastry bag fitted with a round tip that is 1/2-inch in diameter.

Place one sliced half of the génoise cake into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan.  Using a pastry brush, brush about half of the simple syrup onto the top of the cake. (You know you have enough syrup in the cake if you press down on the cake and hear a “squish,” like that of a full sponge.)

Slice 12-15 of the strawberries in half.  They should be the same height.  Place the strawberries on top of the cake in a ring with the sliced half of the strawberries against the side of the spring form pan.

Pipe a ring “escargot” of crème mousseline onto the top of the cake.  Pipe more crème mousseline in a line upwards between each strawberry.  Using a flat metal spatula, spread the crème out so that any air pockets are filled.

Quarter the remaining strawberries and place them on top of the layer of crème mousseline.  Fill it full with strawberries.

Pipe another ring in the form of an “escargot” on top of the strawberries.  Smooth out with a flat metal spatula.

Brush the remaining simple syrup onto the other sliced half of the génoise cake.  Place this slice on top of the crème mousseline layer in the spring form pan.  (Be careful because the cake is filled with the simple syrup and extra delicate.)  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Remove from the refrigerator and pipe a thin layer, about 1/4-inch thick, of crème mousseline on top of the Fraisier.  Decorate with strawberries.  Serve.

*The Fraisier will keep up to 2 days in the refrigerator.